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Unification of Cyrodiil
The Unification of Cyrodiil was a series of wars in the Second Era that led to the creation of the Kingdom of Cyrodiil, ruled by House Vallerion. Following the Imperial Interregnum and the division of Cyrodiil into various individual kingdoms as well as Caius Vallerion's seizure of the Kingdom of Nibenay, Caius used his overwhelming military force to conquer the surrounding lands. Within 30 years, the land was almost entirely united under a single banner, with Caius Vallerion sitting on the Ruby Throne. Origins The Unificaiton was a direct result of Caius' Rebellion and the installation of Caius I as Nibenay's new king. Caius was an extraordinarily powerful ruler and had a massive army large enough to crush nearly anyone in Tamriel. His ultimate goal was to make his dynasty extensive and powerful with his House ruling an entire empire like Reman Cyrodiil himself. The Empire was in pieces, after all, and it was entirely up for the taking. King Caius assembled his banners and began to invade neighboring kingdoms and counties one at a time. He became known at home as a powerful warrior, but elsewhere he was shunned as a hungry warmonger. Many rulers denounced him, some formed coalitions against him, and others prepared their defenses for an all-out war. The Unification had officially begun. The Nibenese Campaign Though Caius already owned most of Nibenay, a great deal of it still remained to be conquered. To the north, a series of neighboring counties ruled by warlords were ripe for the taking, which officially started his campaign. They were taken by surprise and quickly fell to the king's might. To the west, the armies of Bravil marched on its neighbors, taking several small territories away from their original owners. The Nibenese Campaign was the shortest of King Caius' wars, though it was perhaps the most important because it launched his invasion and prompted many other Cyrodiilic rulers to resist his rule. The Colovian Campaign Easily the largest conflict of the Unification of Cyrodiil, the Colovian Campaign was the climax of the king's wars. To show that he was serious, Caius ordered a total invasion of the Kingdom of Skingrad, the first full kingdom that he attacked, and his largest foe yet. Skingrad had allies in Kvatch and Anvil, both of which came to their aid. Still, Skingrad couldn't muster up enough strength to outnumber Caius' armies. The war for Skingrad was long and drawn out, mainly because both sides were so massive, but within a year the capital was sieged. The King of Skingrad was forced to surrender his throne and become a vassal of Nibenay, or be banished to a province of his choosing. The king chose vassalage resentfully. Caius had merely scratched the surface of Colovia, however, as a massive amount of territory still remained. Kvatch was the next to fall; its respective war was much faster, as Kvatch's king had no allies to call in. Anvil fell next, though it took them less than half a year to surrender. Though the southern half of Colovia was under King Caius' control, a massive kingdom known as the Colovian Estates still waited for him in the north. Not only did the Estates have a massive military, but they had formed a coalition against Nibenay as well in order to prevent them from conquering Cyrodiil. Nearly a dozen free rulers had formed the alliance, which created a large problem for Caius. However, after assembling his entire army, Caius had a plan. While the majority of his force was garrisoned in the castles and holdfasts that he had captured, a small distraction force would invade the Colovian Estates to draw them into Caius' occupied lands. Once the enemy had taken the bait, Caius' army would flood out and take them by surprise. The plan ultimately worked, with the Colovian coalition mostly defeated. After invading the Estates, the rest fell in battle. Caius' army had nearly tripled in size from the beginning of the Unification after accepting nearly 20 new vassals into his service. Conquering the Estates made them even larger, with nearly 10,000 new soldiers being conscripted into his armies, and even more being drawn from his new vassals. By this point, he had also conquered nearly two thirds of Cyrodiil, though one key component remained: the Heartlands and its Imperial Isle, the seat of Imperial power. The Heartlands Campaign The Heartlands, though outnumbered five to one, still resisted Caius' rule. They garrisoned their entire fighting force into the Imperial City, which meant that an incredibly difficult siege laid between Caius and his throne. The Battle of the Imperial City was the largest of the war, with nearly 120,000 soldiers taking part in it from both sides. The battle took nearly a year, as the city's garrison was nearly an impossible nut to crack. Even the sewers were occupied to prevent guerrilla forces from infiltrating the city. Caius had a difficult time trying to find a way to win, but in the end an all-out siege of the city was what it took. The battle was incredibly bloody. Nearly all of the Heartlands soldiers were killed, and almost half of King Caius' forces fell as well. However, Caius had won the battle, and thus, the war. Aftermath After his forces occupied the Imperial City, Caius and his honor guard marched to the throne room of the White-Gold tower. With an empty ruby throne sitting in its center, Caius occupied the seat, proclaiming himself High King of Cyrodiil, and, unofficially, Emperor of Tamriel. The remaining unconquered nations almost unanimously vowed to join the new High King as vassals so long as they could avoid a war. High King Caius accepted all of their pleas. Only a few remained independent, such as the Count of Cheydinhal, though they faced their own conquests in time. Though Caius I died before he could see a fully unified Cyrodiil, the kingdom was completely united under his successor and son, Caius II. Category:Conflicts